This invention relates to an automatic fitting apparatus for manipulating hose parts of half made pantyhose, and more particularly, to an automatic fitting apparatus for forwarding a pair of hose parts of half made pantyhose to a panty part sewing machine which seams the welt portions (this part becomes the panty part when seamed) of the hose parts which are usually circular knit. Thus, the automatic apparatus of this invention can be used in a pantyhose production line to integrate a panty part sewing machine with a toe part sewing machine.
Generally, in a pantyhose production line, a pair of hose parts made of filament, and usually circular knit, are first seamed at welt portions disposed side by side by a panty part sewing machine to form a panty part. And then, their respective open ends are seamed by a toe part sewing machine to form a toe part. Thus, a pair of complete pantyhose is manufactured.
After these sewing processes are completed, the pantyhose must still be subjected to such processes as dyeing, folding and packing before they become finished goods.
As apparent from the above, a pair of pantyhose is manufactured by performing two separate sewing processes: panty part and toe part sewing processes. In this respect, an automatic panty part sewing machine (U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,681) and a toe part sewing machine (U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,280) developed by the present Applicants have been widely put to practical use.
In addition, a "sewing process and an apparatus for achieving the same" aimed to reduce the sewing operations of pantyhose and to save labor therefor by integrating the above-described sewing machines have been well known in the hosiery industry as disclosed in EP Pat. No. 126800.
The above-described inventions disclosed in EP Pat. No. 126800 have outstanding characteristics such as reducing the number of workers from two to one. However, a problem still remains in that laborious work is still required by each worker in the workshop to fit welt portions of tubular hose, after opening the welt portions by hand, to clamping means (comprising a pair of right and left clamping plates at upper and lower locations) of a panty part sewing machine.
Moreover, this fitting operation must be conducted in an exact manner and requires much time, because it includes evenly positioning upper hem portions of welt parts and garter line parts (a line defined between panty part and leg part), which results in a reduction in efficiency.